A FF5 Valentine's Day
by Stoplivi
Summary: Another silly story just to entertain my friends and I. The band and their ladies spend their Valentine's weekend together.
1. February 13th  Olivia

Valentine's Day. Another useless holiday.

Olivia stood back from the candy display. Chalky hearts, five-pound bags of chocolates, and heart-shaped lollipops lined the shelves. Everything was so red and pink and bright. She picked up a small box of assorted chocolates and gave it a shake.

"Would you just pick something?" And try and at least pretend you're interested..." Her friend Lauren looked over her shoulder, giving a disapproving sneer at the chocolates. "And those look gross. Put them back."

"Yes, mother." She dodged a stuffed polar bear clutching a glowing red heart. She did put the chocolates back, because upon further inspection, they were a week old.

Target was surprisingly empty for the 13th of February. Some Maroon 5 song was playing over the PA, making Olivia tap her foot to the beat. She found another box with at least 5 assortments of confections. It was name brand, too, not the cheap stuff.

"What're the guys doing?" She heard Kenzie whisper to Lauren. The two were peering across the aisle, watching the boys laugh amongst themselves and tug at various Valentine's cards.

"It's kind of obvious, isn't it? They're picking out cards for us! We should do that after they leave."

"If they ever will leave." Olivia piped up. "They've been hovering there forever now."

This was true. She had been watching them out of the corner of her eye. She couldn't help her curious nature. Nathan and Derek were snickering over a card they shared between them while Solomon teased Jacob at some glittery thing. Josh was blocking her view of whatever it was he was so intently focused on. He moved to grab a white envelope. He had found something. Olivia tore her eyes away and focused on the various candies instead.

"Hey, they're leaving. Let's make our move." The girls skipped over towards the card display, searching frantically for where their men were selecting their gifts.

"I don't want to know. It ruins the surprise." Olivia looked through the selection. None of them really grabbed her attention.

"I agree. Let's just pick some out and head for the register." Kenzie spotted a special card with an engine on it's red cover. She giggled at the message and picked out a matching envelope.

Olivia found one that fit Josh perfectly. Lauren finally decided on one that wasn't too over-the-top, but totally matched her tastes.

As they headed for the registers, Olivia spotted Josh picking up a box of chocolates. Pretending as if she didn't notice, she followed her friends as they paid for their items and waited at the in-store café. The guys snuck up and asked if they were ready to leave.

"So, what'd you get me?" Lauren cuddled up to Jacob, attempting to snoop through his bag.

He was not oblivious to her stunt. "Who says I got you anything?"

"What? Of course you would."

"Well then, what'd you get me, huh?"

The two continued their little banter all the way back to the bus. Solomon was scrambling to find the keys while the others waited impatiently in the freezing cold. Olivia and Josh were behind, with the bassist pushing a shopping cart full of their budgeted groceries. She spied a pack of paper towels, but no toilet paper.

"Really? This again?"

He simply shrugged. "They were a good price."

"Cheapskate."

He slung an arm around her neck and gave her a playful noogie, kissing the top of her head.

Solomon finally found the keys and bolted into the warmth of their tour bus. Everyone followed behind just as quickly, with Olivia bringing up the rear as she shoved the empty cart into the pen and shuffled inside with the rest of the bags.

"C'mon, man, let's go! We got to be at the center by 6." Their short leader pushed Josh towards the front and into the driver's seat. Olivia slapped his arm as he ducked back into the back lounge to get comfortable.

"Who wants to watch a movie?" She heard Derek ask. He was riffling through their DVD collection, tossing various cases at the curled up couple of Nathan and Kenzie. Nate rubbed his girl's head as one of them bounced off her forehead.

"Just pick one, man, before you poke someone's eye out..."

"How about The Princess Bride?"

"How about no?" Solomon interjected.

Jacob shot his brother a dirty look. "Yeah, let's watch that."

Olivia reached behind her and sharply tugged at the black curtain to drown out their voices. Josh raised an eyebrow at her scowling.

"I don't want to hear their arguing."

"Gets old after a while, huh?" he smirked, started the engine, and pulled back onto the interstate.

"Sure does."

The two sat in silence, but the movie could be heard throughout the bus. As the sun set over the highway, Olivia could feel herself slipping into a daze. Everyone was quiet as they enjoyed the film. Solomon actually managed to quit complaining and was watching from the comfort of his bunk. Lauren was resting her head along Jacob's chest, wrapped in a lover's embrace. Derek was rocking in his seat, reciting nearly every line under his breath. Kenzie had fallen asleep after the first 30 minutes. Nathan cradled her limp body.

"It's unusually quiet." Olivia commented, slurring her words.

Josh's eyes never left the road. "It is."

"It's a nice change of pace. Sometimes I just want to slap the voice right out of Sol." She loved him like a brother, but he enjoyed agitating others too much.

"I don't blame you. But we kind of need his voice, ya know?"

"I can just see it now. Thousands of teenage girls will have a price on my head. Wanted: Dead or Alive."

Releasing one hand from the wheel, he reached for her hand and held it tightly. She turned to give him a curious look.

"Hear this now: I will always come for you." He grinned and quoted the film word for word.

She giggled. "Thanks, babe."


	2. February 13th  Kenzie

The movie was over.

Kenzie found herself curled up in Nathan's lap, much like a clingy koala bear.

"What? It's over? We just put it in..." she rubbed her eyes, feeling even more drowsy than she did before. How was that possible?

"That's what she said." She heard Solomon chuckle from his bunk.

Nathan leaned in his seat to give him a cross glare, then eased back to give his girl a pat on the back. "Yep, it's been over for about ten minutes now."

"You missed a great movie!" Derek spoke with excitement, bouncing into the seat next to them.

"I've seen it before. I was just sleepy is all."

Kenzie looked out the bus window at the passing mountain range. The snowy slopes glistened in the moonlight. Looking over Nate's shoulder, she watched the passing cars below them blaze right along, their lights bright and harsh against the black night. Being on the road was amazing. Normally long car rides were awkward and very uncomfortable, but being on a bus was so much fun.

"C'mere you." She felt herself being pulled back by her dj. He planted a kiss on her cheek, whispering dirty things about car engines and making horrible puns. But they always managed to make her smile.

"Ew, knock it off." Solomon passed them, shoving a pillow over their heads.

Shaking away the pillow, it fell into the floor at Jacob's combat boots.

"Oh perfect." Lauren reached down and proceeded to fluff the pillow and place it in the drummer's lap, letting it cradle her head.

Kenzie crawled off of Nate's lap and made her way to the front of the bus. Pulling back the black curtain, she found Olivia fast asleep, her head resting on Josh's thigh. She was wrapped up in his black leather jacket.

"Aw." She commented. Josh turned his head, acknowledging her presence with a nod and "Hey."

"Not to be a bother to this...precious display, but how far are we from the concert hall?"

"I don't know, around 30 minutes, I guess?" he glanced down at his large watch. "Getting antsy?"

"Just a bit."

"Heyo—WOAH!" Solomon shoved his head in around the curtain. Kenzie jumped at his loud voice ringing in her ear.

"What?"

He gestured down at Olivia. "That looked...so wrong."

Josh's scowl deepened, if it was at all possible. "Shut up and sit down, Sol." She noticed a faint blush on Josh's cheeks.

Pushing the intruding singer back from whence he came, she decided to rejoin her friends in the common area. For some reason, Lauren was riffling through Jacob's wallet, looking through business cards and various credit cards. Nathan and Derek were in deep discussion about something on Nate's iPod. She slid over and tried to sneak a peek, but they were quick and snatched it away before she could make anything out.

"What're you hiding?"

"Who says we're hiding something?"

"We're not hiding something."

The two looked up at her innocently, batting their eyes for effect.

"Right. Whatever."

She took a seat in the booth and reclined back, feeling herself nod off once again.

The smell of nachos tore her from her slumber. That, and the strong scent of gasoline.

They had stopped at a gas station. The bus door was wide open, the cold night air filling the room quickly. Dawning her jacket, she stumbled off the bus and looked around the corner. Nathan was hovering over the pump, giving the machine a frustrated stare.

"What's wrong?" she breathed thin clouds of steam.

"Oh, you're awake. Ah, it's nothing, just the pump acting up."

"Okay...I guess everyone else is inside?" Looking through the large glass windows she spied her friends running up and down the aisles. Jacob chased Lauren around a corner as she clutched a box of Krispy Kreme. Solomon was making eyes at the girl behind the check out counter. She seemed less than impressed.

"Well I'll keep you company."

Nathan locked the pump and slung his arm around his girl, giving her temple a peck. "Thanks."

The two huddled together in the cold. As she leaned into Nate's warmth, Kenzie's thoughts went back to the first time she properly was introduced to him. The local Gamestop was having a midnight release of some battle video game. Funny how now she had forgotten its name. Oh well. It was a cold December night, and the line filing outside of the doors traveled down the strip and rounded the corner of the ice cream place. She had been standing in line since 8, and surprisingly had managed to get a spot just a few feet from the door. She was bouncing up and down on her toes when she felt a tap in her shoulder. A bit startled, she pulled the earbuds from her ears and turned her attention to the man in question.

"Hey, this is for the release of this game, right?" It was Nathan, pointing down to a coupon with the game's cover plastered across the paper.

After a few stunned seconds, she nodded. "Yeah, that's it alright."

"Thanks. So, you out here for your brother or something?"

"Aha, no. Definitely here for myself."

"Oh, sorry, I just figured..."

"It's cool, I've heard it before."

He smiled, lighting her frostbitten face aflame. They began discussing various games and even delved into preferred consoles and graphics. She hadn't had a conversation like that in a long time.

"Maybe I'll take you on in a match one day." He laughed as the two headed back towards the parking lot, games in hand.

"Maybe." She bit her lip, thrilled at the idea to be knocking joysticks with her favorite dj.

He slipped her his number and drove away.

"Okay, losers, back in the bus."

Her reminiscing was interrupted by Solomon's scratchy voice. He was probably sick again.

They finished pumping the gas and filed in behind Josh smacking Olivia's butt as she climbed inside.

"Okay, who's up for another movie?"

"No one, Derek."


	3. February 13th Jacob

When the bus pulled into the concert hall lot, Jacob was riffling through his bunk looking for something what couldn't be found.

Afraid he had left it back home, he began to panic, his heart rate increasing as his hand flew around the covers, under pillows, and through his pockets.

He was digging through his suitcase when he felt his fingers brush over it. Lauren stepped into the hallway, raising an eyebrow to him crouching on the floor. "Jake, you okay?"

Her voice surprised him. Jerking back away from his luggage, he clonked his head on a nearby bunk. "Uh yeah, everything's cool! Just making sure I, ah..." he pulled out a pair of suspenders. "...hadn't forgotten these!"

"Okay, well, we just pulled into the lot, so we're about to start unloading the trailer. John's been here for a while already." She headed back towards the common area. Jacob watched her as she shrugged on her coat and laughed with her girl friends as they stepped off the bus.

That was a close one.

In the provided dressing rooms, Jacob and Lauren were going through the various clothes that he had arranged for the band's outfits.

"So this is for Nathan: either the sleeveless jacket or this long-sleeved sweater and coat." He held up both for her to see.

"The jacket. Kenzie likes his arms. She'll appreciate that."

"Right. Okay, now Josh: the gray tank top or the v-neck?"

"Tank top. Olivia has a thing about tank tops."

"You know, these aren't for just showing our bodies off to you girls." He laughed, putting aside the clothes.

"Baby, when 90% of your audience is women, yes it is."

Just then Derek poked his head through the door. "Hey, Lauren, can we borrow you for a second?"

"Uh, sure. Be right back." She followed after the innocent guitarist, leaving Jacob by his lonesome for the time being. Well, at least he had the clothes.

To kill time, he sat in along the nasty flannel couch, propping his feet up along the armrest and thinking back to happier, warmer times.

The first time he had ever laid eyes on his girl was at one of their shows down in Florida. Was it Orlando? Maybe. He couldn't remember. A little show on the beach was what they needed, so with their acoustic instruments they played a set for the other beachgoers. As he slapped the bongos between his kneecaps, he was looking over the crowd at all the smiling and tanned faces. Somewhere by the wayside, he found Lauren, her eyes wide and her little head bobbing along with the beat. He felt himself smile and bang out the rhythm even harder.

After the show, he approached her, making up some stupid excuse to talk to her. He mentioned he liked her haircut and noticed how her eyes lit up at his compliment. They talked for a while until his twin had to pull him away.

"Sorry if he's being a pain." He had Jacob in a firm grip, the drummer squirming to break free.

"Oh no, not at all! I enjoyed talking with him."

Before he left, he found a silver sharpie in his back pocket (for autograph purposes) and left his number on the inside of her wrist.

Jacob could practically feel the hot summer rays beating down on him now. But the heat became painful and he shot up from his daydreaming. Olivia was towering over him, his hairdryer in her clutches.

With a click she turned it off. "The guys need you on stage, hot shot. C'mon."

He reluctantly followed. What did they need? He wasn't the one who set up his drum set.

The two turned a corner and passed Solomon chatting up two awfully made up women. They giggled and bit their lips coyly as he rambled on about something stupid.

Olivia stepped over and tugged at his ear, pulling him after her. Jacob could only laugh as she shouted back to the girls, "Sorry, ladies, he's married."

They stepped into the auditorium. The ceiling was high above their heads and Jacob could spot their cameraman Isaac waving from the rafters.

"Oh good, Jake's here. And Sol." Kenzie stepped over to the trio. "We've been looking for you, pipsqueak."

"Watch it, girl. I was busy until freckle face here pulled me away." Olivia released his ear, letting Solomon get a chance to rub at the pain.

"Well they need you guys on stage." Kenzie and Olivia headed back into the stands.

Jacob was asked to help provide his input on how which backdrop to use. Of course they always needed his opinion on when something image-wise was brought in. He could do more than just plan out their fashion and decorate the stage. He looked over to others and thought about their roles. Solomon was just himself, the ego who took reign over everything. Derek was their PA guy, the happy-go-lucky one who was interviewed and fawned over. He thought back to the last time he was interviewed. It had certainly been a while. Nathan was the techie of the group, always messing around with some cords or some software that Jacob himself understood little about. Then there was Josh, the accountant and muscle. So of course, his interests left him left with the fashion choices. Typical.

But it wasn't so bad. His band was always receiving compliments on their looks, so he knew he was doing something right.

"Hey cutie." Skinny arms wrapped around his abdomen. Lauren's face nuzzled his back as he reached around to grab her. Then there was his girl.

His girl.

His.

No one else's. He wouldn't allow it.

Jacob smiled and twirled her around the apron of the stage, receiving a round of applause and cheers from Kenzie and Olivia in the empty seats.

"Now dip her!" Kenzie shouted.

He did as he was told, dipping her low and planting a kiss on her pink lips.

Olivia stood from her seat and called out, "Now drop her!"


	4. Valentine's Morning Lauren

The show went smoothly.

From her view at side-stage, Lauren could watch her man drum furiously on his set, his sweat-soaked hair hanging in his eyes. She couldn't understand how other girls could find sweaty musicians so unappealing.

She turned her head towards her friends. Kenzie was dancing along with the song as the guys rocked "Earthquake", making the crowd scream. Olivia's eyes were pinned to Josh and his signature thrusting hip move. She could only laugh and continued to enjoy the concert.

"We're Family Force 5, we love you guys and goodnight!" Solomon dropped his mic stand and swaggered off stage, his band mates following after. As the crowd cheered and stomped their feet for an encore, they were busy putting down their instruments and wiping their sweaty faces off with the towels Lauren and the girls provided.

"They want an encore." John commented, looking out over the rowdy crowd.

"Dude, I'm tired, stink, and need a shower. We just played 10 songs. They'll be fine." Solomon tossed his towel over his shoulder and made a beeline for the bus. "I call the shower first!"

"What a twerp." Olivia commented.

"But he's our twerp." Josh hugged her tightly, pressing her face into his sweaty tank top.

"Alright, guys. Time to hit the showers." Their manager called out, following after their lead singer.

Lauren was channel surfing as Kenzie occupied herself with a magazine. Olivia was off in her own world, doodling aimlessly on a receipt from the gas station.

"You ladies seem entertained." Nathan moseyed into the lounge, drying his hair with a fresh towel. They would surely have a ton of laundry to do tomorrow. And it was Valentine's Day on top of it. Oh well, the clothes could wait.

"We're such party people, aren't we?" Lauren tossed him the remote and headed for the back lounge.

She knocked to alert anyone changing behind the door. Derek pulled back the door and smiled, letting her pass. The bathroom door was closed and a heavy steam was pouring from inside.

Taking a seat by the window, she found her journal and began to write about her day. Normally she wouldn't write every day, just the days where she got off her lazy butt and actually documented her travels and adventures.

She thought back to their last Target run. Besides the card, she had found Jacob a nice burgundy scarf that she figured would suit him very nicely. Sometimes it was difficult picking out gifts for her guy. She knew all his interests didn't lie in fashion, but it was just so easy to find him a nice pair of shoes or some gloves or in her case, a new scarf. Hopefully he would appreciate the gesture. What was she saying, of course he would! He loved her, right?

She really wanted to hear it.

"I love you." She wrote, dotting the 'I' with a fat heart. That's all she wanted to hear.

It wasn't like she didn't feel his love, oh no. But it would mean the world to her to hear him say it.

Once everyone had showered off, they were quite ready for bed.

Kenzie crawled into her bunk, followed by Nathan into his and Derek disappearing into his top bunk. Solomon was relaxing in his own world, a black sleeping mask across his eyes. Jacob kissed Lauren goodnight before slipping behind his bunk's curtain.

Josh was already lying back against his pillows, hands tucked behind his head. His bunk was directly across from her own.

"Guess it's my turn to sleep in the lounge, huh." Olivia fluffed her pillow and began to head for the back of the bus.

"Not so fast, babe. You can bunk with me." Josh took her hand and anchored by his side.

"What? There's no way you can fit in there..." Lauren watched in amazement as her friend only giggled and crawled on top of the bassist. They actually fit. "Wow."

"Goodnight." Olivia winked and jerked the curtain back.

Lauren shook her head and fell back into her pillows, quite comfy.

Minutes passed, and while things had been quiet, a sudden sound broke the peace. And it was coming from Josh's bunk. Oh no.

Quickly Lauren grabbed her iPod and put on her earphones. The music drowned out the soft moaning, but not all of it.

Soon it became too much to bear. She shot up from her bed, ripped off the earphones and cried out, "You barely have any room! What the heck could you possibly be doing!"

The rest of the night was silent.

In the morning, everyone emerged from their bunks like the living dead from their coffins.

"Whose turn to make breakfast?" Solomon groaned, scratching at his unkempt hair.

"Mine." Olivia reached for the fridge to begin preparing bacon and eggs.

"Ah, no. I think I'll do it." The short man pushed her aside, giving her a wary look.

"Why?"

"I don't want your hands on my food."

Josh gave his brother a punch. "Her hands are fine."

"Yeah, and you would know."

Lauren laughed and took her seat at Jacob's side. He had fixed himself toast instead since eggs did nothing for him.

"Hey guys, it's Valentine's Day!" Of course it would be Derek who would point it out. Lauren envied his constant cheerfulness.

"Hey, yeah, it is! Day off!" Solomon slapped the bacon on the skillet.

"You okay, Jake?" Lauren turned towards the drummer, noticing his pale face.

"Just feeling a bit...ugh, I don't know. I think I might be sick." Her heart sank at the news. It's not like she had anything special planned for the holiday, but she was never happy when her man wasn't feeling well.

"It's okay. If you want, we'll just stay in today." She gave him an honest smile. He sniffled and patted her head.

"Well ladies, looks like we're all yours for the day. Well, some of us, anyway." Solomon tossed Derek a look.

The girls could only smile.


	5. February 14th Derek

Valentine's Day. What a lovely holiday.

Derek kicked back along the couch, basking in the warm sunlight coming through the windows. Already the day was starting off on a good foot.

"I do not know how to cook this bacon." Solomon dangled the raw meat above the skillet.

"Well if you had let me do my job, we would be eating by now." Olivia was at his side, practically glaring daggers into his head.

"...Still not letting you touch my food."

Nathan was getting fed up with their bickering. "For god's sake, Sol, it's not like she could manage to do anything in there! Right?" he looked over at the fidgeting couple.

Neither of them said a word.

"Mother of god." Lauren shivered and focused back on her glass of OJ.

"Told ya." Finally Solomon gave up on the bacon and after a few fumbling minutes, switched off the stove. "Can we just hit up a Bojangles or somethin'?"

So they did.

Derek took his usual seat next to his pal Nathan. He watched the others order their meals and push and shove one another. The people in line behind them watched also, but with a look of discomfort.

They sat down to a fresh, hot breakfast. Solomon still complained about the lack of bacon.

"So, what're your plans for the day, huh?" Kenzie leaned forward in her seat at Nate's side to give Derek a smile.

"Oh, well, I'm not sure, really. I figured you guys would have your own thing to do...like the rest of you girls." He nodded to Lauren and Olivia, who both nodded, cheeks stuffed with delicious biscuit.

"We'll go to the mall or something, man." Sol let out a belch and leaned back in his chair. "Since there's nothing else to do around here..."

"I think there's a YMCA around here. You could always go for a swim..." Olivia suggested.

"Today? Nah. Get some shoppin' done."

Derek finished his coffee and mulled over what he could do. Sarah, his wife, was back home, alone on this lover's holiday. It pained him to think about it, but she did insist she sit this tour out.

Sol waved a hand through the air. "We'll figure something out. Oh, and Olivia?"

She looked up from her tea. "What?"

He reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a clear bottle of hand sanitizer. "Happy Valentine's Day, girl."

* * *

><p>Derek set aside a bag of ice for Solomon who sat at the table and angrily flipped through the television channels, rubbing at the painful sting on his cheek.<p>

"It was pretty funny."

He received a scowl and proceeded to mask his growing smile.

Jacob stepped onto the bus, running for the back lounge. He reappeared a few minutes later with something stuffed into his fist. Derek raised his eyebrows and the drummer gave a curt nod before heading back out the door.

He was happy for Jacob for meeting a special girl like Lauren. The two hit it off perfectly, finishing one another's sentences, whispering sweet, innocent words of love, and laughing and picking at one another's flaws.

Then there was Nathan and Kenzie. What a match made in heaven, those two. When Nathan had first introduced Derek to the then red-head of awesomeness, he knew instantly that they could never be separated. The way they looked at one another said it all.

And he laughed at the idea of Josh finally finding a woman. And what a woman she was. At first, you would have never guessed how well they fit each other like missing puzzle pieces lost under a bed. He loved their honest relationship and how they always came back to one another after a riff.

"Hey man." He jumped and felt a hand clap his shoulder. The tattooed fingers gave him a playful shove.

"Hey." He smiled and watched Nate and Kenzie disappear into the back to begin setting up their gaming systems. "You guys aren't heading out or something?"

"Nah, not yet."

"Just want to get in some quick gaming! Nate here needs to be taught a lesson." Kenzie grinned and sat back, readying herself for an intense session.

"Don't I know it." Nate winked.

Derek returned his attention back to his sore friend and passed him the bag of ice. Solomon took it and hissed as it burned his reddened cheek.

"You'll be okay."

"If she steps back on this bus, she's a goner."

"I don't know how Josh'll take that."

"...Dang it."

* * *

><p>Outside, Josh was under the bus, checking on something he was becoming suspicious of.<p>

"What is it?" Olivia knelt down to get a good look. She didn't understand much about cars, but she liked to pretend to.

"I don't know, babe, that's why I'm checking."

Instead of snapping back with a snide remark, she settled on sitting back against the large tire, flipping through her iPhone aimlessly.

Jacob and Lauren turned a corner, hand in hand and giggling over something probably ridiculous.

"Hey lovebirds." Olivia looked up through her aviators.

"Hey. What's he up to now?" Jacob gestured to his twin, still halfway hidden beneath the bus.

"Wouldn't I like to know..."

"I can still here you." Josh called out with a gruff tone.

"Good." She kicked his thigh.

"Hey!"

"Let's get out of here." Lauren laughed and led her man away from the now bickering couple.

"So, what do you feel like doing today?" Jacob kissed the top of her head.

"I don't know. I figured we'd go see a movie maybe...go to the mall across town if you wanted."

"Sounds great!"

"Cool. Let me just go change into something nice and grab my bag."

"You already look great."

"Hush." She pushed him away and stepped onto the bus.

"WOAH!"

Lauren dodged a swinging frying pan. Solomon was leaning across the booth and clutched the pan with shaking hands.

"Sorry ,girl!"

"What the heck, man!"

"Thought you were Olivia."

"...What? Do you want to kill her?"

He said nothing and turned back to the television.


	6. February 14th Nathan

It wasn't like Nathan to lose a game. Ever.

Sure, he would admit to defeat occasionally, but this time...he wasn't proud of it.

"Well well well..." Kenzie put down her controller and turned to him, a boastful smile on her lips. "Look who just won?"

She received nothing short of a playful glare. "You did."

"That's right. Now," she stood from her seat along the sofa and knelt down to wrap her arms around his shoulders. "About that bet we made..."

With his fingers entwined with hers, Nathan led Kenzie towards the hole-in-the-wall comic book store. It wasn't much for looks, but as soon as they stepped through the door, his senses were filled with nothing but the sweet smell of aging paper and mothballs.

Kenzie's hand slipped from his own as she took off towards the back of the store. He did enjoy seeing her so happy.

He found her 30 minutes later, sitting on the carpet floor, a pile of Flash comics stacked at her feet. Without tearing her eyes from the colorful pages, she smiled, "Hey hon."

"I guess you found something, huh?"

"Sure did! Thank you so much for bringing me!" she leaned over and nuzzled his scrawny knees.

"Don't thank me. You won." Grabbing a few comics of his own interest, he took the spot beside her and began to read.

They returned to the bus about an hour or two later. They were surprised to still find Josh beneath the bus, now with several tools at his side.

"Hey, man." Nathan approached him, bending low to get a good look at the mechanics. "How goes it?"

"Something's wrong, I know it." Josh gave a gruff reply.

"I think you're just paranoid."

The bassist sighed. "Whatever."

Noticing the lack of Olivia, Kenzie piped up. "Where's the lady?"

"Not sure. She just got up and left."

It wasn't like Josh to sound as if he didn't care about Olivia's whereabouts. He was really protective of her deep down, but wasn't good at showing it.

"Well, we'll leave you to it then."

"Fine. Later."

They made their way onto the bus, Kenzie still making a fuss over her new stack of reading material.

"Hey there." Derek greeted them, tying the laces to his boots. Solomon sat at his side, along with a frying pan.

Nathan high-fived his friend. "Hey bud." He then turned to their leader. "Hey...Sol. What's with—"

"It's nothing."

"...Right. You guys gettin' ready to head for the mall?

"Yep. I think we're supposed to meet Jake and Lauren for lunch in the food court."

"Well, have fun."

So with Solomon following behind, the two stepped off and began their walk for the shopping center. Luckily it was just a few blocks away.

For the rest of the afternoon, the couple flipped through their purchases, got up a few times to compete in more gameplay, and eventually fell asleep in one another's arms.

Inside her bunk, Olivia was lying awake, staring at the black curtain. She had been awake for a while, at least 30 minutes or so. Earlier she had gotten fed up with Josh's persistence in inspecting the underbelly of the bus and decided to come in to avoid the February chill.

She looked down at her phone. 3:00. Were they going to do anything today?

"There's still time." She whispered to herself before rolling over and falling back into sleep.

Nathan was startled awake by the sound of someone rummaging through the fridge. He looked up and first saw Kenzie resting her head on his chest, still fast asleep. His eyes moved over to the fridge to see Josh with a bottle of ice-cold water. He was half-way through when he noticed Nathan was awake.

"Hey."

"Hey." Nate tried to stretch but not startle his sleeping beauty. "What's up?"

"Working up a sweat. I can't find anything wrong."

"I told ya, man, what if there's nothing there?"

Josh only shook his head. "I know there's something. I can't explain it, but I feel it."

"Okay, whatever you say. Still no sign of Olivia?"

It was weird to see how Josh's face now when he asked about her. It was like it suddenly dawned on him that he had a girlfriend. "Nah. I haven't seen—"

He was cut short by the sound of the hallway door sliding in its track. Nathan leaned forward and Josh spun around to find Olivia, half-awake. For a moment, her eyes lit up upon seeing Josh, but she stepped by him, mumbling an "excuse me", and reached into the fridge, also taking a bottle and returning back to the bunks.

Both men looked to one another before Josh turned to follow after her.

"Babe, what's wrong?"

She began to slide back into her bunk when he grabbed her arm and stopped her. "Hey, tell me what's wrong."

"It's nothing." She blinked up at him with large eyes, putting on a face to convince him. He wasn't that stupid.

He knelt down and made it clear that he wouldn't budge until she fessed up.

"I just...I don't know. You're the first man that's ever shown interest in me. Valentine's Day is a foreign holiday to me. I don't know what to do."

He laughed, at which she cocked her head in confusion.

"Truth is, I don't know what to do either."

Olivia smiled at that. "I just want to be with you is all."

"I can do that."

When Kenzie finally woke up, the bus was empty, save for her and Nathan. He had been awake for twenty minutes maybe, being content with just running his fingers through her hair.

"Morning." She grinned just before yawning.

"It's 4:00 in the afternoon."

"Same difference."

She moved off of him, much to Nathan's dismay, and looked around the lounge. "Where is everybody? I don't hear Josh banging around anymore."

"He cleaned himself up and took Olivia to a rental dealership. Said something about taking her for a ride."

"That's sweet."

"It is. She looked really excited when they left. So, what're you up for now?"

She thought about that, leaning forward to give the back lounge a onceover. "Looks like we've got the bus to ourselves."

"Looks that way..." he smiled and allowed Kenzie to lead him towards the back, an inviting smile across her face.


End file.
